Between the vast sea of ​​clouds

The autumn rain fell continuously for several days, and the white jade steps in front of the Zichen Palace emitted a warm and white light in the hazy rain. The palace was buried in the vast water vapor, and it looked like a castle in the sky hanging in the clouds from a distance.

The heavy rain poured down, scouring the phoenix pattern hovering on the jade wall, and a piece of grayish white fell from the tail of the phoenix bird. As the rain continued to wash away, the slender dark red in the gap was exposed. The phoenix bird seemed to be covered by water vapor. There was a layer of dead air, revealing an ominous breath of decay.

If someone has a bird's-eye view of this huge palace complex at this time, they will find that Chang'an is like an ocean, and the surging waves can swallow the palace in an instant.There was a dull thunder in the sky, and in the heavy rain, a group of people could be seen walking from the Wuchang Gate to the palace.

The palace attendant walked quickly through the corridor flooded by rain, Qi Wang Chuzhu got up from the table, looked at the rain outside the window, and frowned slightly.The palace servants were wearing red gauze, which was originally a very festive color, but now it was soaked by water vapor, not as bright and eye-catching as before, but it was like a bloodstain, dragging a dark water mark on the ground.

For some reason, when she saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat, and she was a little confused.

Suddenly a close friend came to report, and whispered a few words in her ear, Chu Yan was refreshed, and hurriedly said: "Where are you, where are you now?"

The visitor didn't care to wipe the rain off his face, and said, "I've already entered the palace."

Chu Yan beamed with joy, and not long after, a man came surrounded by the palace people. The man stepped into the palace and took off his hood.

She was going to salute, but Chu Yan hurriedly supported her, and said angrily, "Why is Fourth Sister so polite, get up quickly!"

"Etiquette cannot be revoked," the man insisted, "not to mention that the second sister is fast..., the status is different, and the younger sister dare not surpass it."

She disregarded Chu's obstruction and finished the ceremony. Chu's face was normal on the surface, but he was even more happy in his heart. He led her to sit down, and said with a little more sincerity in his words: "Four sisters have worked hard on this trip, Yunzhou Is it over?"

Chu Jun reached out and stroked his sleeve, and took out a silver box.The style of the box was very ordinary, but Chu Jun said very cautiously: "Sister Huang, please take a look."

There was a light click in the silver box, and Chu Yu's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she remembered the dark red veil soaked in rain. She thought it might be some kind of hidden arrow, and she almost called for the guards, but Chu Yu said nothing. The eyebrows are smooth, the long hair hangs down, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like he will plot against her.She didn't want to lose her momentum in front of her future subjects, so she straightened her back and forcibly endured it.

The surface of the box rotates and rises, blooming layer by layer like a lotus flower. The stamen is dragged upwards, revealing a bright red bead. The red light, shining brightly, illuminated the front of the table in an instant.Chu Yan was so startled that she couldn't speak, she stretched out her hand to move the silver flower, only to find that every petal was engraved with dense spell patterns, which flickered slightly with the light from the beads in the receptacle. Exhaling slowly, he said cautiously: "This is the life pill?"

In fact, these words are superfluous, she already has the answer in her heart.Chu Jun nodded, turned the flower slightly in one direction, the receptacle sank, the petals closed, wrapped in this rare thing and turned into an ordinary appearance, she held the silver box in both hands and said: "It is this thing, I offer it to you." To the Queen."

Chu Yan has not yet grasped the power, but she has experienced this wonderful taste first in her respectful words and attitude, which makes people feel a little blissful.But after all, she understands that at this time, she must be calmer, and she must not be fooled.The silver box was placed in the middle of the table, and no one touched it. Chu Jun looked down at the silver box, shoulders shrugged slightly, showing a decadent and melancholy temperament. Pushing the box in front of her, said: "Since it is the fourth sister's credit, how can the lonely elder sister take it away so easily?"

Hearing the words, Chu Zhu raised his head, and Chu Zhu stared at her closely, not letting go of even the slightest emotion, and said: "Then please trouble the fourth sister and dedicate this thing to the mother emperor. I just want the fourth sister to be in the mother emperor's house." A few good words have been said before."

Chu Jun only said: "Yes, it's just like what Huang Jie said."

She is still skeptical, facing this easy-to-get credit, she always has some doubts and dare not fully believe it.If you donate it rashly, what should you do if you get into trouble?She had a lot of thoughts in her mind, and after much deliberation, it would be better to kick Chu Jun. If the guilt is lowered, it has nothing to do with her, and she would sell her.She looked at the fourth younger sister with pity and contempt in her heart, and her sense of superiority made her not allow Chu Jun to refuse, before she could say anything, she said: "You rest in the outer palace first, and Gu will send someone to inform you."

Chu Jun responded in a low voice, her long wet hair covered the expression on her face, her irresistible tone of cowardice was completely opposite to the playfulness in her eyes, she put away her things, and walked towards the depths of the palace under the guidance of the palace staff.

In Yuxiao Palace.

The empress was half lying on the bed, looking obsessively at the life pill on the torus, the fiery red light dyed her old knuckles, she hesitated for a moment, and finally summoned the magician, let the maid come down the steps to show them the silver flower .

The bead really wasn't a mortal thing, and the brilliance sprinkled a halo, and it bloomed with bright light as the maid walked around.One of them has fluttering robes, eyes like torches, and has an extraordinary temperament. There is an indescribable charm in her gestures, which clearly distinguishes her from the others.She took a step forward, closed her eyes and muttered a few words silently, and said joyfully, "Return to Your Majesty, this object is the sacred object of the golden tent!"

As soon as she spoke, the people around knelt down to congratulate her, and the empress hurriedly asked the maid to let her back, her old face was a bit refreshed by the light of the beads, and people felt extra energetic.Chu Jun stood aside, without even lifting his head from the beginning to the end.

Only then did the empress remember that she was still on the side, and complex emotions flashed across her eyes. In fact, at the beginning, she didn't believe that this little daughter could bring this thing, but now she actually did... Maybe it was Because of her age, she could feel the invisible threat from several increasingly powerful daughters, and now this feeling came to her heart again, she hated this kind of powerlessness, but suddenly developed a kind of nameless jealousy .When she was young, she was able to cross Hengzhou on horseback. She was proficient in riding, shooting and wrestling.

Facing the fourth daughter who brought back Zhenbao all the way, she just said indifferently: "Xin Wang, you are doing very well."

Chu Jun bowed and saluted, saying that the king had already defined her identity as a subject, not a mother and daughter.But she said: "I dare not pretend to claim credit, my second sister has also contributed a lot, but I don't want to take credit, my minister dares to speak nonsense."

The empress looked at her and smiled strangely, and those who knew her well knew that this was a sign of her anger, and she said in a strangely gentle tone: "You said your second sister—yes, I have told her about this before. I didn't expect that all my daughters are capable ministers, they are truly a blessing to the community!"

Chu Jun couldn't understand the deep meaning in her words, so he just said, "Don't dare."

The empress was extraordinarily amiable, and said: "Jin'er, tell me, what should I reward your second sister for her contributions?"

Chu Jun said: "Your ministers dare not talk nonsense, whether to punish them or not, this is the mother's arbitrary decision, how can it be overstepped?"

The empress smiled with satisfaction, and said: "Then I ask you, which of your sisters do you think is more suitable to be a princess?"

Although the voice of these words was soft, they could be heard clearly in the palace. Everyone present trembled in their hearts. If King Xin answered well today, then nothing would happen; The palace people will all become victims of the empress' wrath.Chu Jun's eyes did not move, as if he was thinking, and he said after a while: "I think the elder and younger are orderly, so naturally the elder sister is more suitable."

The empress nodded slightly, stared at Ming Dan, and said slowly: "Have you never thought about—"

Chu Jun's eyebrows twitched, his head slowly raised, and he was about to look at the Empress.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! It's not good!" A tragic cry suddenly sounded, interrupting the empress's words. A palace maid in yellow knelt in front of the door in horror and said sharply: "King Yue... The soldiers are outside the gate of Qianguang, saying that they want to clean up the traitors—"

The people present couldn't believe their ears, and the empress shouted in disbelief: "Presumptuous! Go tell Yu Quanlan, the commander of the imperial army!"

There was chaos in the palace room, Chu Jun took a step back, stood in a corner calmly, looked at the warlock who had spoken before, and said nothing.

"Come here!" The empress put on the red imperial clothes, and a sickly flush appeared on her face, which was lingering with the aura of decay. "I'm not dead yet, why is she so impatient?"

She coughed a few times, panting and said: "The order will be passed down, the king of Yue will commit the crime below, trespassing the palace is a serious crime! Thinking that he is under the control of a villain, retreat quickly, and then he will be punished lightly, or he will be killed!"

There was a faint noise in the depths of the forbidden palace. The forbidden army held feather arrows and confronted the soldiers and horses outside through the gate of Qianguang. The deputy commander of the forbidden army said loudly: "His Majesty's will, the King of Yue listened to the announcement—"

A feathered arrow flew in the air and hit her neck, causing blood to flow immediately. A person outside the Qianguang Gate was wearing a black cloak, his eyes were dark, and his aura was fierce, like a beast driven to a desperate situation. He said completely desperately: " The queen mother is now lying in bed, controlled by treacherous people, controlling the government, and upending the country! Today, the lonely king wants to sideline the Qing emperor and kill the evil ones!"

In the autumn of the fifth year of Taiqi, the king of Yue rebelled. Together with nearly 5000 soldiers and guards from the outskirts of Beijing, they gathered at Qianguangmen to break into the palace, and started a fierce struggle with the forbidden army outside Mingde Palace.The commander-in-chief of the soldiers and horses of the last five cities led the troops to escort them, and finally intercepted the soldiers and horses of the King of Yue outside the Kaide Gate, and could not take a step closer to the court.

This palace change that shocked the government and the public ended hastily in just seven days, and the king of Yue himself was killed in the chaos.

The road from Qianguangmen to Zichen Palace is full of broken limbs and broken arrows, the rain is still falling, and the rain is mixed with dark red blood, winding down the steps.A large area of ​​dark red was splashed on the palace wall, and only a touch of red remained after the rain washed.The palace people came out of the refuge tremblingly, and the imperial army began to clean up the mess. On the contrary, there was a palace in the deep palace. The autumn rain fell on the roses in the garden, and the red spots were scattered, and there was a kind of decayed and dilapidated beauty. .

Chu Jue and Chu Jun sat by the window to play chess. When Chu Jue talked about Yue Wang Chuming, his expression was indescribably happy, but he still pretended to say to Chu Jun: "The elder sister is too impatient. If you can wait a little longer, It's not out of her turn to be the empress dowager."

If it weren't for the recent rumors in Beijing that the empress intended to belong to the second emperor's daughter and wanted to make her the crown daughter, I am afraid that Chu Ming would not have acted so rashly.

"It is said that she was still screaming before she died. If her life is not guaranteed, Yunzhou will be in chaos. It is really ridiculous."

Chu Jun smiled lightly when he heard the words, turned his head to look at the rain curtain outside the window, the rain was tiny, but layers upon layers could block people's sight, how many things in the world, like silk, could block people's sight The five senses of the body cover the human heart.

Chu Yan felt relieved, the empress had no time to manage the trivial matters in the palace these few days, so she entrusted this matter to her.It has only been a few days since Chu Yan took the position, and he seems to regard himself as the master of this palace. In addition, the maids and attendants have noticed the shift of the wind direction. The girl was chosen, and she was even more respectful, which made her feel the pleasure of being in power first.

Not surprisingly, Chu Jun lost again this time.Chu Yan smiled in a low voice, glanced at Chu Jun and said, "Fourth sister still needs to improve her chess skills, this is not possible."

Chu Jun nodded and said: "It is time to learn more from Sister Huang."

With a gentle smile on the corner of Chu Yan's mouth, he said: "Fourth Sister has helped Gu a lot, I don't know if you are willing to do another thing for Gu?"

Chu Jun slowly raised his head and looked at her with strange eyes.Chu Yan felt a little unnatural when she looked at her, wanted to get angry but held back, and said: "If Simei doesn't want to, then forget it."

As the rain fell, Chu Jun picked up a white chess piece and placed it in the game. The white flag on the chessboard was originally a defeat, but because of her move, the situation suddenly turned around. The white chess piece came back from the dead, and the black chess piece was in a dilemma. Unable to face the result of being surrounded by white chess, Chu Yan was dumbfounded: "You—"

Chu Jun withdrew his hand, and Chu Jun looked at her in disbelief. Although she was in a high position at this time, she felt the illusion of a position exchange in an instant. Chu Jun stood up, looked at her with his body and said lightly: "Don't put Everyone treats you like a fool, Second Sister, I don't want to be your pawn."

She smiled playfully, and said: "I have helped my second sister so much, how about second sister doing something for me?"

The corner of Chu Yan's mouth twitched, and he said angrily, "Presumptuous, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Chu Jun glanced at her, and was about to turn around and leave.Chu Yan suddenly felt that she had changed a lot, as if she had been reborn, she almost became another person.She sternly said, "Chu Jun, come back to me!"

Hearing this, Chu Jun just looked at her from the side. That look was like facing an abyss, but it looked extraordinarily cold in the bright light refracted by the glazed lamp. No matter how bright the palace was, it made people feel chills in their hearts. My mind went blank, and I couldn't think of a word to say.

"Second sister, this is just a very simple matter." She said casually, brushing the raindrops splashed on the door rail with her hand, "Can I borrow your life?"

"Borrow your life?" The empress paused, and the maid came forward with a handkerchief in her hand. She picked it up and wiped her mouth. She frowned and said, "Master, you want to pay your life for your life?"

The man nodded, the empress put down the medicine bowl casually, signaled the palace people to disperse, and said: "Mage, if you have something to say, what is the way to save your life?"

"It's not to resist life, but to borrow life, and to use this person's life to continue His Majesty's life, which is what this life pill is for."

The empress refused the maid's support, sat up with force and said: "Borrow your life, whose life do you want to borrow?"

The warlock saluted to cover up the smile on his lips, and said softly, "Of course His Majesty's close relatives would be the best."

The deep meaning revealed in this is self-evident, the empress said coldly: "You actually tried to provoke the Tian family's affection in vain, how dare you act so presumptuously!"

She knows very well that the theory of longevity is nothing but self-deception, and the purpose of continuing this life is to have more time to practice and enter the immortal path.

The sorcerer accepted the sleeves and saluted, and said: "I don't dare, it's true or not. Your Majesty allows me to arrange it, and the envoy will know after trying it."

The empress pondered for a long time, panting like a bellows, and finally she seemed to have made some important decision, and said in a hoarse voice: "Xuan, King Xin."

The fire in Yuxiao Palace was blazing, and the Empress was playing with the life pill. She felt unreal, no matter it was power, she suddenly became sleepy, leaned against the bed and took a nap, and suddenly heard the human voice: "Your Majesty, believe me! His Royal Highness is here."

That thin voice made her feel a little uncomfortable, she habitually said: "Call her over."

There was a rustling sound, and the sound of footsteps from near to far. She looked up and saw that Chu Jun was coming in a purple royal dress, and she said very gently: "Ju'er, the Queen Mother called you here for a thing."

"How does the Queen Mother treat you?"

Chu Jun bowed deeply, and said: "Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and you should try your best to serve you to death."

The lines at the corners of the empress' eyes stretched, and she said slowly, "Then—"

Chu Jun took a step forward and interrupted her directly: "But the second sister has something to say, why don't you listen to what she thinks?"

She clapped her hands lightly, and one of them was dragged in through the door. The empress took a closer look, and found that Chu Yan was tied up and gagged, making an indistinct sound angrily.

"What are you doing?" the empress scolded.

Chu Jun said obediently: "Didn't the mother want to borrow her life, so my son brought the second sister here."

Chu Yan's eyes showed fear, and he retreated desperately.Chu Jun grabbed her by the collar lightly and dragged her up the steps. The warlock behind the curtain saluted after seeing this, and said in a low voice, "I have seen His Royal Highness King Qi."

Chu Yan's hair was disheveled, and she looked towards her hand, where there was a white jade bowl, the silver knife flickered coldly, reflecting her pupils shrunk due to fear, she suddenly burst out with strength, struggled and rolled down the steps, The cloth strip in her mouth was spit out, and she said loudly: "Mother, save me, Mother!"

The empress looked at all this blankly. Chu Jun twisted open the silver box and took the life pill from the torus. The beads the size of a fingertip radiated a warm red light on her white fingertips. She smiled and threw it into the pill furnace with her backhand .

The flame swallowed the red bead in an instant, and the tongue of fire burst out a little spark in the air. The empress had no time to stop it, and watched her throw the thing into it.

"Mingdan." Her face was covered with warmth in the firelight, but her eyes were as cold as iron, cold and solemn, she stroked the silver box, slightly sunken at an inconspicuous corner.She seemed to be touching another person's fingertips through a small box.

The empress suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which sank into the red silk quilt.Chu Jun was unmoved, just stared at the dancing flames in the alchemy furnace, and said after a while: "This kind of thing should not exist."

The author has something to say: Ah, try to write more, thank you for your blessings yesterday, thank you very much.

Although I am very busy recently, I will try my best to write more. .